NCAA Championships Will Continue With Timed Relay Finals
The NCAA has decided to keep the timed relays for the upcoming 2023 NCAA Championships.
Implemented the past two seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA decided to have every team swim a relay just in the timed finals, without any relay prelims.
This kept fewer swimmers on the pool deck, especially the first championships after the height of the pandemic when there were open lanes between relays.
The timed relay finals continued last year and will be implemented again this year, perhaps will now be the tradition moving forward as well.
While the situation had fewer swimmers involved in relays and fewer on the pool deck, it also completely changed the format from the past and the strategy that is involved with that.
Teams are no longer able to maneuver into the finals or change their lineups. The timed final allows any team from any heat to finish in the top eight, and win the event.
On the flip side, for many swimmers who swim multiple relays, the NCAA Championships becomes a lot less taxing without having to swim prelims of every relay.
But again, that keeps other swimmers from swimming in prelims as well and likely takes away a chance for some swimmers to compete at the NCAA Championships if they were there only as relay swimmers in the past.
So there are pros and cons and different strategies to the timed finals which will continue at least through this season a the NCAA Championships.
Backup timers will also not be on deck again and coaches meetings will be virtual, according to the NCAA.